Fork polishing

[Big T]

I'm attempting to polish the outer tubes on my 78 and I've run into a dilemma

1. The left outer on the bike has 3 gouges in it in a highly visible area - they're all over 12mm long and deep enough to catch a fingernail. I can't see grinding/sanding these out. Anyone ever used a filler for this? If so, what? Does the filler polish up?

2. I have an extra front end with a left outer that's not gouged, however, the front of this tube has surface porousity from top to bottom. I've tried sanding that out, but very little headway. If I can't remove the pores, it won't polish for ****e.

Any solutions?

[Hammered]

Are you talking about the upper tubes or the lower slides. The chromed tubes wont polish out from a gouge in the chrome. I may be wrong but I had to strip and refinish my tubes on the 750 project.

[Big T]

Outer = lower slides

[GS ace]

If you're willing to take the time, those scratches can be taken out. That's if they they are only deep enough to catch a fingernail.

[Hammered]

Since its just in the aluminum, youre fine. Id take a broad fine file and slow with a light touch go across the area at an angle. Once the scratches are reduced, 120 grit, and keep going finer til youre polishing more than anything. I did this in the 750 to remove the casing marks and the caliber mounts. A hand sander will take a lot of the time outta the work, just have to go with a very light hand.

[tas850g]

GS ACE,

I hear you do a pretty job with polishing???

[GS ace]

Yup, Tas. No complaints yet.

[Flyboy]

Like the guys said, they will come out with a lot of pateince and elbow grease, I had a few in my ignition cover from dropping the bike, and a night in front of the TV with a bucket of water and various grades of sandpaper sorted it out, you can't tell there was ever a scratch on there.
But it does take a lot of work.

[GS ace]

Two things..........electricity and 3M products.

[850 Combat]

On English bikes I have had holes in case covers TIG welded up and repolished them so that you couldn't tell. I have also filed and sanded pretty deep gouges out of primary cases after tossing my Commando down the road with good success, a couple times for that matter.